Downers Grove was GREAT!!!!!

Pro Am Race-Downers Grove, IL

The Pro Am race is always a fast and crazy race only because they allow the pros and the elites to race together. It’s always over 200 guys racing on small down town streets of Downers.
In the past, I usually just relax; don’t take any risk and just ride just to wake my legs up from the flight over. Well this year was no different. I rode the race from the front after being called to the line by the great Eddy Vangies. So sense I had an introduction, I gave the fans a little sneak peak of what they would get the next day.

That night Erik’s host house invited the guys over for dinner and to meet everyone. It was fantastic, the food was good, the people were great and the home was magnificent.
At dinner I was telling the guys that all I have to do is beat Tyler. He is the fastest American that has a team that can help him win…no one else really have a chance. “So get me to his wheel and I have a shot.”

After going to sleep at around 3am Sunday morning, (because I couldn’t sleep) I woke up and ate breakfast in the Hotel restaurant. I had apple French toast on sour dough bread, it was really good.
I get back to the room and I got ready for a little ride to wake up the legs for the day’s race. After my hour ride, I’m relaxing in the hotel and Erik calls and says…”we aint racing dude”, I thought he was joking around.

He said dude we cant race we did not meet the 6 man race limit and we don’t have a team manager here. My heart dropped so far, I had to head down to the lobby to pick it up. After attempting to understand what was really going on, I figured ill call some other team directors to see if I could get a ride with them, I mean I really wanted to race. I Called jelly belly and Danny said hell yeah; we have 7 you can ride with us. Called Sea Silver and Steve Hegg also said hell yeah.
However under new rules, it was nothing they could do. I wasn’t on their teams roster so it was a done deal… were not racing.

I couldn’t stomach what had just happen. I mean the national championships, I race that I could do well in…and I can’t race. What a bomber. Sitting in the hotel room was not helping me so I went down to the race and just sat in an Irish pub the whole time thinking about other things?

Ill be writing a book entitled “How not to run a team”.

Look for it soon